Maria Shriver Is On A Mission To Wipe Out Alzheimer’s — And You Can Be Part Of It
“Hope is around the corner. It might be in a lab or in a clinical trial, but I sure as heck know it won’t happen if we sit down.” (Photo courtesy of Maria Shriver)
More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease — and nearly two-thirds of them are women. Women are also more likely to be caregivers of those with the disease, which impacts them both emotionally and financially.
For award-winning journalist and producer Maria Shriver, these facts — in addition to being personally touched by Alzheimer’s when her father, Sargent Shriver, was diagnosed with the condition in 2003 (he passed away in 2011) — have served as a catalyst to create a new initiative for mobilizing women and putting an end to the memory-robbing disease.
The initiative, called Maria Shriver’s Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge, was created in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association and the non-profit A Woman’s Nation, which Shriver founded. It aims to end the devastating disease by encouraging women to get educated about it, to learn about initiatives to help fight it, and to raise awareness and funds for cutting-edge brain research. All of the money raised through the Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge will go toward the Alzheimer’s Association’s first-of-its-kind fund, the Women’s Alzheimer’s Research Fund, which will support research initiatives looking at gender differences and Alzheimer’s.
Yahoo Health spoke with Shriver to talk about her new grassroots initiative, how Alzheimer’s has touched her life personally, and her hope to empower women to make this disease history:
Yahoo Health: What led up to launching the Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge?
Maria Shriver: I’ve been working as an agitator and advocate for the past 10 years. It started right after my dad [Sargent Shriver] was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Then I wrote a children’s book, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, to explain it to my children. I did an HBO documentary, “The Alzheimer’s Project.” Then I went in front of Congress to help pass the Alzheimer’s National Plan [by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which set a deadline to stop Alzheimer’s disease by 2025]. I was also the executive producer of Still Alice. [Julianne Moore won an Academy Award for Best Actress playing a woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s in the film]. So the official launch of the Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge is today, but in my mind, I launched this 10 years ago.
Related: What You Should Know About Early-Onset Alzheimer’s
YH: Can you talk more about why Alzheimer’s disease is a cause you’re so passionate about?
MS: All of us have personal experiences and that is where we grow from. I was raised by a strong woman and my dad had Alzheimer’s. I was always interested in the brain — how someone as smart as my father could lose all of that seemingly overnight. I think the brain is the new frontier — how to energize it, calm it, and understand it. We’ve made so many strides on how to make our bodies healthier, but we haven’t made equal strides to make our brains healthier.
YH: Since research shows that certain lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and exercise, can improve cognitive function and may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, what healthy habits do you follow in your own life?
MS: Your cardiovascular heath is connected to your brain health. I have always exercised. I do Transcendental Meditation. I meditate every day and try to calm the brain. I eat a healthy diet. I drink coffee [research shows it has a protective effect against Alzheimer’s] and drink either a glass of wine or take resveratrol every day [research shows resveratrol may have some neuroprotective benefits]. I try to learn something new everyday. Between brain games, meditation, exercise, and healthy eating, all of these things together up your chances of not getting Alzheimer’s.
Related: Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s Disease Found In Patients As Young As 20
YH: What can women learn from the Challenge?
MS: Go on the site and get educated about what Alzheimer’s is or isn’t. Get updated on the facts. See that there are things women can do to help their parents. Talk about cognitive health. Look out for signs in your parents. Be aware of the demands of caregiving. Look at how many women are out there and making difference — they need our help and our support. Help fund research into women’s brains. Try to find out why this disproportionately affects women. We need to support researchers and scientists who are looking into clues in what causes Alzheimer’s. We want women to get excited about this field, to encourage women to go into it, and encourage women scientists to develop trials and get answers.
YH: What do you hope women get out of the Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge?
MS: I hope they get a sense of community out of it and feel empowered as opposed to disempowered. I hope that they get excited about funding exciting research projects, that they get the sense they can make a difference, and wipe this out in our lifetime. Hope is around the corner. It might be in a lab or in a clinical trial, but I sure as heck know it won’t happen if we sit down. We have to stand up and speak out.
Learn more about Maria Shriver’s Wipe Out Alzheimer’s Challenge, and how you can get involved, here.
